I have a problem (the core of it being that I am VERY new at PHP and MySQL), wondering if anyone can suggest solutions. I've been charged with handling creation of new web pages for entering kids' data into a database for a local parents' club, for babysitting co-ops and such. What we want to do: a) The registration form will ask for parents' name and contact info (I'm not having any problem handling that), and ask them how many children they have. b) After submitting this, PHP puts these values into a MySQL database (again, no problem) and will give them a second form, with one set of form inputs for each child (I haven't figured out how to do this yet; it sounds simple enough though). For example, if you said you have 3 kids, the next form might look like this: Child # First Name Middle Name Last Name Gender DoB School Name 1 _____________ ___________ _________ ____ _________ ___________ 2 _____________ ___________ _________ ____ _________ ___________ 3 _____________ ___________ _________ ____ _________ ___________ Where the fields will be named "Child1Number", "Child1FirstName", etc., all the way through "Child3SchoolName". The PHP script that processes this form after it is submitted needs to a) create a childID for each child (this is simply main account-holder's ID with "c", "d", "e", etc., appended, and b) enter the data for each child into the database, in the "child" table. I have *THREE* PHP & MySQL books, and so far cannot figure out how to do this in a sensible way, which I understand should be an array. The array chapters and examples all give sample code that is completely useless for my purposes (generally the examples are of pre-determined data, like tires and spark plugs and oil cans in an automotive catalog, and how to print them out of the array into a web page). Me, I'm trying to take fresh input from the user, put it into an array somehow, and have a loop (that I don't know how to write yet), generate a "childID" for each child in turn, and enter each child's information in turn into the database, keyed to that childID, and do so in an efficient way. (The inefficient way would be to, say, assume a maximum of 15 children, and, not using an array, then have the script ask, "Does child #1 exist in the form? Yes? Then create its user ID; now enter its data in the database. Does child #2 exist?...." Hardly good program design. Even I know that, and I can't program my way out of paper bag (I'm an HTML/CSS guy, not a programmer. Yet.) And, this should be an associative array, not a numerically indexed one, since other people who probably won't be programmers will need to be able to look at this down the road and understand precisely what it does with what data and why. The other issue would be how to create the child form so that it only has the number of fields required for the number of children they say they have. The whole for and each loop construction stuff is very, very fuzzy in my head, in the absence of good examples. PS: AFTER registration and login, if people want to be able to edit this info, e.g. to add a new child in the family, there needs to be a form that will load all of their existing family data and allow them to edit it. No problem. But is there a way with PHP to have the "how many children do you have" selector auto-reload the page with a new, empty field for an additional child, if they had 3 kids but go to this profile editing form and change it to say 4 kids? I could do this with Javascript, but if PHP itself can do it, that would be cool. I suspect that without JS, the best I can do is either a) always have a blank child field just in case (but what if they just had twins?; not such a great solution) or b) allow them to edit everything so far entered into the DB, and if they change the number of kids have the form come back after they submit it, with a new line of form fields for a new child and a note at the top to add the new child's info. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
